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Chef Profile: Andrew Dickinson of the Blue Crab Bar & Grill

Managing a kitchen is a challenge no matter where the location, but throw three young children into the mix and it’s a recipe for disaster. “Not so,” says Chef Andrew Dickinson at the Blue Crab in James Bay. “Teaching them at home actually informs a lot of what I do at the hotel. At the moment it’s all about slow cooking, root vegetables and short ribs, and my kids’ enthusiasm is infectious.”

Andrew and his team run the well-known Blue Crab Bar and Grill at the Coast Victoria Harbourside on Kingston Street. It’s a mainstay in Victoria, well known for its fresh seafood and regional cuisine. They take pride in using seasonal and readily available local ingredients to ensure fresh, flavourful food that adds comfort on rainy west coast winter days.

Andrew’s passion for food has grown steadily over the years. Working stages in Europe, and spending three years in Bermuda at Cambridge Beaches, Reefs Hotel and Senesta, has kept his life’s work interesting. Now he can pass that excitement on to his three children Makayla, Sadie and Adian through a creative culinary education at home. Luckily for Victorians, you needn’t be part of the Dickinson family to have access to these culinary creations. However, you had better act quickly. The Coast Victoria Harbourside is closing on December 26 for a few months of renovations, so you only have a few weeks to experience Andrew’s slow braised boneless beef rib. If you miss out, you can recreate at home with his recipe below. You can bet Andrew won’t lose his excitement for cooking during the renos (the restaurant is scheduled to reopen on April 30, 2012). He’s got three children to inspire him daily and they have big cooking plans plus planting a massive vegetable garden in the spring.

– By Timothy Trebilcock

Andrew Dickinson’s Slow braised boneless beef rib

3 large onions, roughly chopped.. roasted

3 – 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped.. roasted

4 large carrots, un cut peeled and roasted

6 large parsnips un cut peeled and roasted

4 large beets, peeled and quartered

6 beef short ribs seared and seasoned

Handful peppercorns

fresh bay leaves

fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place ingredients in a large hotel pan and add enough water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, cover with foil, and place in the oven. Braise, cooking in the oven, for 7 hrs until the meat is fork-tender.

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